Volume One, Chapter Two: The True Heiress Is the Boss, Part Two

Mrs. Wang’s hand, holding the broom, froze mid-air. She turned to see Nurse Wu looking toward the courtyard gate and quickly forced a smile. “Nurse, these people are just here to cause trouble. I’ll chase them away right now.”

“No need,” Nurse Wu interrupted her. “Since the village chief is here, why not come in and have a seat? I was just about to ask if anyone in the village knows about the time Mrs. Wang found a baby girl at the temple.”

The village chief’s eyes lit up. Without another word, he barged inside. “Nurse, your question is timely! I know some details about this matter!”

Mrs. Wang’s face instantly turned pale. She tried to stop him but was blocked by Nurse Wu’s attendant.

Nurse Wu said, “Village chief, please speak.”

The village chief spat on the doorstep and spoke in a gruff voice, “Fourteen years ago, Mrs. Wang gave birth to twin girls. The elder is Qin Qianqian, beaten like livestock since childhood; the younger, Qin Xiaohua, was cherished and pampered, never allowed to do any work inside or outside the home.”

Seeing Nurse Wu’s calm demeanor, the village chief rubbed his hands and continued, “Back then, Mrs. Wang’s belly didn’t look like she was carrying two. Now it’s clear she only gave birth to one—obviously Qin Xiaohua, who looks exactly like Mrs. Wang in her youth…”

Before he finished, Mrs. Wang jumped up, pointing at the village chief and cursing, “Nonsense! I gave birth to Qin Qianqian, Xiaohua was the one I found!”

“Your biological child?” came a sharp voice from the crowd.

The group parted as An Qianqian emerged from the back. Her tattered linen dress was sprinkled with grass clippings, her straw sandals caked with mud, yet she walked steadily, her back straight as a rod.

The villagers fell silent.

This girl had always been quiet and withdrawn, crying only in some unnoticed corner when beaten. When had she ever carried such dignity?

Everyone inhaled softly, as if afraid to disturb the inexplicable nobility radiating from her.

Nurse Wu’s gaze clung to her face, especially the slightly upturned eyes—so much like the lady of the house!

In contrast, Qin Xiaohua cowered behind Mrs. Wang, her eyes evasive. The difference was stark.

“Are you Qin Qianqian?” Nurse Wu’s voice softened unconsciously.

An Qianqian nodded slightly in affirmation.

Her eyes then settled coldly on Mrs. Wang, devoid of warmth.

She said nothing immediately, standing quietly, yet the invisible pressure was like a net that instantly enveloped Mrs. Wang.

Mrs. Wang’s skin crawled under her gaze. The arrogance she had displayed moments ago deflated like a burst balloon.

She instinctively shrank back, a muffled whimper escaping her throat, unable to form a coherent sentence.

“You claim I am your biological daughter, yet today, knowing people from the capital had come, you still had your husband take me to toil in the fields behind the mountain? What were you afraid of?”

Mrs. Wang frantically clutched at her clothes, her nails nearly digging into the fabric.

This wretched girl’s aura had grown so formidable today.

It was suffocating.

No!

She couldn’t let her steal her daughter’s fortune!

As long as she stuck to her denial, no matter how loudly it was exposed today, the truth of the past could never be proven!

“You worthless brat! It’s your job to hoe the fields every day. Are you trying to slack off?” Mrs. Wang raised her voice sharply, attempting to mask her guilt with ferocity. “I think you’ve been blown silly by the wild winds outside, daring to question me!”

She suddenly sprang up, grabbed a broken broom handle from the corner, and swung it at An Qianqian. “I’ll beat you to death, you ungrateful wretch! Let you know who’s the master of this house!”

The broom handle sliced through the air, and the villagers gasped in alarm.

Everyone knew Mrs. Wang’s blows were deadly serious. If she landed a hit now, blood would surely flow!

But just as the stick was about half a foot above An Qianqian’s head, An Qianqian grabbed the thickest part of the broom handle.

Mrs. Wang felt her wrist gripped by tremendous force, unable to move it forward even slightly, her face twitching with rage. “You little wretch, you dare resist?!”

Before she could finish, An Qianqian twisted her wrist lightly, and with a sharp “crack,” the broom handle—so sturdy an adult might struggle to break it—snapped cleanly in two.

The broken half fell to the ground with a “thud,” and the yard fell utterly silent.

“I advise you to tell the truth today. What really happened back then. If you keep lying, I won’t be so polite.”

An Qianqian moved swiftly, unnoticed by most, pulling Qin Xiaohua close.

She pressed the broken wood against Qin Xiaohua’s slender white neck. Though the pressure was light, it was enough for everyone to see that with even a little force, this pampered girl would bleed.

“Qin Qianqian, you traitor, let go of me! Wait until my father comes back, he’ll kill you!”

Mrs. Wang’s panic rose. “You brat! If you dare lay a finger on my daughter, I’ll rip your mouth apart!”

She had already planned how to kill An Qianqian. If anything happened to her daughter’s hair, she would beat her to death and throw her in the cesspit!

“You’ve only ever had this one child in your life. If you don’t reveal the truth about back then, I will see it through.”

An Qianqian’s eyes never wavered, as if Mrs. Wang’s screams were just the buzzing of flies.

She tossed aside the broken wood and glanced at the mud-smeared iron shovel resting in the corner. She bent down and picked it up.

“You little wretch! I’ll finish you off!”

Mrs. Wang took a step forward, but Nurse Wu signaled her maids. Two strong attendants gripped her arms like iron clamps, holding her firmly despite her struggles.

“Bang!”

The shovel struck Qin Xiaohua’s waist heavily.

“This blow is for when you beat me mercilessly at six years old for eating an extra bite of wild greens, then locked me in the woodshed overnight.”

Qin Xiaohua let out a miserable scream.

“Sister, I’m sorry! I won’t dare again! Mother, please speak!”

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